The Blog

We just launched the redesign of the One By One Foundation website (onebyonefoundation.org). This foundation has a three-tier goal; to heal the hearts, minds & spirits of individuals. From their mission statement: Our mission is to bring healing to Minds, Hearts and Spirits of others through sharing our passions. Our passions include healing Minds of impoverished and orphaned children in Ghana by providing support, education and vocational training; healing Hearts of at-risk and traumatized children through Interactive Animal Activities in Idaho; and healing Spirits through Kriya Yoga Meditation.

Along with the redesign of the site, we assisted with a rebrand, creating a more colorful and simple logo to represent their mission and ideals.

It’s art! It’s cereal! It’s both! If you remember the soothing voice of Bob Ross, then just add milk to this add listen to him talk as you eat. Okay, that’s not going to happen. But you can still enjoy some cereal inspired by the guy that inspired many artists. I know that some people think he was not that great and basically painted the same type of thing over and over, and I think those people are missing the point. The point was in the joy of painting, which Bob Ross often talked about. He also shared the basics of technique, brush types and how and why to use them.

And the fact that you can still get Bob Ross branded art supplies, books, instructional videos and yes, Chia pets and cereal, only speaks to the creativity and appeal of this artist.

Besides, it’s a happy looking little cereal, and it looks good in the bowl.

If you really want to grab a box (or two) here’s the link: bit.ly/2KMj4Tc

I know, I know, it’s insurance. But hey, somebody’s got to do it, right? And if you need insurance wouldn’t you want to work with a company that looks out for you, finds you the best deal and does it at no cost to you? That’s what Insurers of Idaho does. They are an insurance broker that specializes in health care coverage for the state of Idaho, and they also specialize in helping you when it comes to dealing with insurance providers. We helped Insurers of Idaho create a cleaner, mobile responsive website that makes it easier for visitors to see what current insurance rates are for them, and to contact Insurers for a personalized health insurance quote. Check out the new site here.

Clients often wonder when it’s time to change, or update their logo. Do you evolve your logo (change it slightly)? Or do you revolutionize your logo, and come up with something completely different?

Below are two examples of evolving and revolutionizing a logo.

First we have CBS Sports, which evolved their sports logo, which had been in use for 37 years. You’ll notice the new logo is much cleaner, though I’m not in favor of the gradient fade to the new logo. This logo lasted CBS 37 years, which is a pretty good run for a sports/media logo.

Old LogoNew Logo

Which brings us to the question, “How do you know it’s time to change your logo?”

Well, think about your company. Have you changed your core business? Maybe you started out manufacturing a product and found that providing a service for your industry was a better business model for you. That might warrant a logo change. Have your employees or vendors expressed the idea that your logo might be out of date?

This brings us to our second example; a total revolution of a logo.

Segundo Mano recently changed their name to Vibbo. Segundo Mano (Spanish for Second Hand) is like a Craigslist for Spain. The parent company made the decision on the name change and the logo was designed by Barcelona-based Summa.

Old LogoNew Logo

As you can see, the new logo retains nothing of the past logo. It’s bold, colorful and very simple in execution, comprised of just rectangles and half circles to form the letter shapes. It’s a very cool logo.

You may be thinking ‘why did they change their name’?. And that’s the key to communicating to your key people, employees, vendors and your customers – “WHY?”. If you can let everyone know why you made the change (or why you’re considering the change), you’re likely to get more constructive feedback and acceptance. People don’t like change, and I think they are more accepting to it if they know the reason why. They may not agree with it, but they will understand the reasoning behind the decision.

We always start out by asking ‘why?’ to our clients. Why do you need a new logo? Why do you need a new website? Uncovering the reasons behind wanting a change often reveals what’s really going on in your business, and it may involve more than a re-brand. It may a bigger issue that you need to focus on.

If you’d like help discovering your why, and get our help in creating something awesome for you, contact us to schedule a consultation.

I was texting with a friend the other day who said he was glad my business was going well. Jokingly, I replied that my boss was a jerk (I’m self-employed) and that I was too hard on myself. He replied, “You should fire that guy.”

You know what? He was right. As I thought about it, I realized that there was no way that I could speak to an employee the way that I internally speak to myself sometimes, and if I did, the employee would either quit or sue me.

We all have an internal dialogue going on, and I’m not sure if it’s just a self-employed trait or the way that I’m wired, but that voice in my head never shuts up. I’m constantly critiquing, reviewing, analyzing, and monitoring my work. I noticed that in my case, that voice is a mostly negative fellow, and not the nice, forgiving and patient guy that outwardly speaks to people I work with.

Now I’m more aware of the feedback that I’m giving myself. If it’s negative, I stop and think about why I’m thinking that way, and then I’ll reframe the incident in a more positive way. It’s only been a couple of days, and the results have been good. I’m less angry at myself and as a result have been way more productive. Nice bonus there.

So I’m sorry voice in my head. Your performance isn’t what we’re looking for at Graphic Zen so I’m going to have to let you go.

Continuing with (IMO) great and iconic album covers, I present to you Destroyer from “the hottest band in the land” KISS.

Destroyer came on the heels of their worldwide hit KISS ALIVE!, which was the biggest selling live album in history. Knowing that the follow up album to this had to be every bit as good, an artist was sought out to produce the album cover.

Enter Ken Kelly. Born in 1946, Ken was always interested in art as a kid, but didn’t pursue it as a career until he left the Marines in 1968, after a four-year term. Back in New York he sought the guidance of fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, who took him on as an apprentice and helped guide his early work.

In 1969, Ken landed a book cover project and has worked for every major publishing house since, including working on a series for fantasy writer Robert E. Howard.

For the Destroyer cover, Ken was faced with a tight deadline and many revisions, one for the first cover version being “too violent”, (it was the mid-seventies). The second happened as he was almost finished and was asked to start over and paint the band in their new costumes. According to all involved, Ken was a professional and took these challenges in stride with no complaints.

Growing up in the mid-seventies I can say that this was one of my first record purchases, and made me very popular at school, as the cover was so visually striking.

Ken also painted a follow up album cover for KISS, Love Gun, which is very unique and identifiable in its own right. He continues to work today and his website can be found at www.kenkellyfantasyart.com.

Working with a designer.

Define the project. Basically, this means telling the designer what you need (logo, website, etc.), so that it can be accomplished.

Define the budget. Don't be afraid to talk money. Designers are used to working within time and budget constraints. Having a budget helps a designer plan the project to provide the best possible solution for your needs.

Trust the process. To find a solution everyone must first understand the problem. Good designers go beyond the surface "widgets and gadgets", to define and explain your problem. Avoid those who like to speculate.

Embrace Flexibility. We're in this together, so make sure you hire individuals or teams that you can work with, argue with and then laugh with over a tall beverage.

From the blog…

Start with Why

With a WHY clearly stated in an organization, anyone within the organization can make a decision as clearly and as accurately as the founder. A WHY provides the clear filter for decision-making. -- Simon Sinek